our bittersweet memories
by ChocolateWonder
Summary: Cho had a special relationship with Cedric, until it was abruptly ripped away from her. QLFC Round 9


**Written for QLFC Round 9 [Harpies, Chaser 2]:** _Write about a witch or wizard gaining freedom._ **Extra Prompts:** 6\. (restriction) no using ?, 8. (song) Stronger, 15. (word) slate

 **Roald Dahl Day:** Turquoise room - Write about a Ravenclaw

 **Writing Club |Showtime, Act One|-** Ten Duel Commandments: (genre) Hurt/Comfort

 **Word Count: 1255**

 _ **Thanks to Amber, Jas, and Em for beta-ing.**_

* * *

 _Cedric_

Cedric waited nervously at the Ravenclaw table, feeling extremely out of place. For one, he wasn't a Ravenclaw, and two, he was only there to ask a girl to the Yule Ball.

Most girls didn't tug at his heartstrings, but there was an exception, and she made Cedric feel blissful just by the mere thought of her.

Cho Chang. That girl was kind and beautiful and _amazing_. She could make him inexplicably happy just by smiling at him. He was completely and utterly in love with her.

And he desired to be her escort to the upcoming ball.

Cedric had tactfully sat next to Marietta, Cho's best friend, and had asked her for some last-minute tips. Marietta had merely smiled and instructed him to keep his cool. He was a Quidditch player and a Triwizard champion after all.

But he was failing. Butterflies were flying around in his stomach.

"Look!" Marietta exclaimed suddenly. "There she is!"

Cedric spun and his eyes feasted upon the glorious sight of Cho Chang. Her raven hair was pulled back into a long ponytail and her school skirt was billowing around her legs magnificently.

She approached the table, her eyes darting between Marietta and Cedric. Cedric smiled at her which she reciprocated.

"Hi, Cedric," she greeted, looking slightly unsure.

"Come to the ball with me."

It wasn't a question; it was a statement that he had impulsively blurted out. He blushed profusely. He faintly heard Marietta slapping her head.

Cho looked appropriately startled; he couldn't blame her. After all, he had out-of-the-blue asked her to the Yule Ball.

Cedric took a deep breath and tried to salvage what remained of his chances with Cho.

"I didn't mean to shock you like that," he said apologetically. "It's just that—that—I think you're beautiful and kind and smart and—oh sweet Merlin, I might've just ruined my chances."

He stood, about to leave, his hopes crushed. "I'll just be off then."

That's when she surprised him. "Sure, I'll go to the ball with you."

He looked up, his hope rekindling. "You mean—"

"No, you didn't screw up," she laughed. "Yes, I'd absolutely love to go with you. I'll meet you in the entrance hall ten minutes before you make your grand entrance."

"Sounds good," he breathed.

* * *

 _Cho_

Cho stood in front of the mirror, scrutinizing her attire. She was wearing a modest navy blue sweater, black jeans, and black flats. A thick designer scarf was wrapped around her neck.

Marietta flitted around the raven-haired beauty, her eyes wide with awe.

"You look beautiful, Cho," she said genuinely. "He'll love it."

Cho puffed out her chest, admiring her reflection. "Thank you, but I feel like I should be wearing something a little more revealing. That seems to impress boys—"

"Don't," Marietta advised immediately. "Cedric doesn't seem like that kind of guy—he'll appreciate what you're currently wearing more."

"Okay, then that settles it." Cho examined herself in the mirror one last time. "Time to meet Cedric."

She and Cedric were going on their first date. After the Yule Ball a couple weeks ago, they had agreed that they liked each other and were willing to be more than just friends.

For some, it might've been too fast, but Cho and Cedric were ready.

Cho really liked Cedric—he was handsome, sweet, modest, and an overall incredible guy. She could only wonder why she hadn't noticed him before; he was different but in a good way.

Now, things were going smoothly. They were an unofficial couple, since they hadn't gone on a date, but that was going to change today.

As she strode confidently past her friends, who wished her good luck, Cho was hit by an unexpected realization.

She loved his laugh, his smile, his humor, his compassion, his honesty, his _everything_. That could mean only one thing.

She was falling in love with him.

Cho cried out as Harry's body moved aside to reveal a motionless Cedric Diggory, his eyes glassy. Her own body froze; she was paralyzed.

He couldn't be dead; he just _couldn't_ be. After all the pleasant times they had experienced, after all the kisses they had shared, the nervous breakdowns—no, he wasn't gone. He was unconscious, she told herself, he would wake up. He would wake up with a brilliant smile, just for her.

And in that moment, she finally understood that she was irrevocably in love with him.

 _She loved him. But it was too late._

Her friends had to physically restrain her from rushing down to the field and weeping over his lifeless body.

Harry himself was distraught, his face streaked with dirt and blood. Blood was flowing out of his arm, but he didn't seem to notice. Cho vaguely observed the way he was stubbornly refusing to be ripped away from Cedric's body; she registered that the staff were calling for calm. Her heartbeat was drowning them all out.

The crowd was roaring, the teachers were yelling, and she was sobbing, because she had lost more than all of them combined.

Because he had never told her that he loved her in return. He had never reciprocated her feelings for him.

And that was the worst of all.

* * *

Cho slumped miserably inside a stall, tear tracks on her cheeks. She had been crying—again—and had taken refuge inside Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

Footsteps reverberated through the bathroom. The floor was unusually dry, because Moaning Myrtle had apparently decided to shed her tears in the pipes.

Cho heard a tentative knock on the door of the stall she was in.

"It's Marietta."

"Come in," replied Cho hoarsely, unlocking the door.

Marietta entered the stall, closing the door behind her and looking hesitantly at her friend.

"I was wondering where you were," she said. "It's dinner time, and you weren't there. They're serving noodles."

 _I was bawling my eyes out,_ Cho thought. Marietta seemed to be aware of the unspoken answer that passed between them.

"Cho," she said gently, "you have to stop grieving over him."

It was like Marietta had struck her with a Bludger; Cho abruptly looked up in shock.

Marietta took this as an invitation to continue. "You're killing yourself over him. He's been dead for almost six months. He wouldn't want you to waste away like this."

"Don't!" Cho choked out. "Don't put words in his mouth!"

"I'm not," said Marietta calmly. "I'm just speaking the words he told me before that challenge."

Cho's soft sobbing immediately halted and her breath hitched.

"Before the challenge, Cedric pulled me aside to talk to me. He told me to tell you, in case he died, that he loved you, and that he wished that he could've lived to tell you himself. He also told me to take care of you and alleviate any suffering you were going through."

Cho's heart stopped. Marietta looked so sincere she knew she wasn't lying to make her feel better.

Marietta's slate grey eyes looked soothingly into her own. "He loved you, Cho. But he told me one last thing. He didn't want you to spend time grieving over him; he wanted you to move on. He really did love you."

It was like someone had lit a fire under Cho. She jumped to her feet, her heart thudding excitedly and her tears evaporating.

"He loved me!" she squealed. "He loved me!"

She was free of her guilt. Sure, she was still saddened by his death, but she had been sobbing over not just that—but over the fact that he hadn't loved her.

She was free.


End file.
